LAKELAND – Perhaps Joba Chamberlain had to leave New York to prove that Yankee class is a transferable commodity.

The Tigers’ reliever, who always seemed like he was entombed in some prolonged childhood when he pranced around the Bronx for seven years, said all the right things when the subject of his transition came up in pregame Friday.

“Sometimes change isn’t the easiest thing, but sometimes it’s the best thing," said Chamberlain, who signed a one-year, $2.5 million free agent deal with Detroit during the offseason. “I was so grateful for the opportunity, but at the end of the day, it’s time to start a new chapter in your life, and that was the time to do it. I’m just thankful for those seven years, and you have to move on at some point.”

Being Joba, of course, he didn’t know the Tigers’ opponent until he arrived at the ballpark and Anibel Sanchez told him “not to cry today.”

“Hopefully I get a chance to pitch,” he said. “I wanna pitch any time I can. Hopefully it comes against the Yankees – it’s bound to happen at some point.”

Barring a trade or a relocation of the Yankees to the Central Division, that won’t happen before August 4, when the Tigers visit the Bronx.

Until then, Joba rolls on.

“The biggest difference is a different uniform and a lot of facial hair,” he said. “I spent my whole adult life in a Yankee uniform, and New York was home. Through the ups and the downs and everything that happened, just the opportunity was an awesome experience.”